Do you ever feel that your chickens are just aggressive and unagreeable with you?Chicken behaviours are frequently misunderstood by those new to owning poultry.​Once you know that they really are not out to kill you but are showing you love in their language...everything changes for the better!

Squatting

​Squatting is a sign of submission. The chicken is acknowledging that you are at the top of the pecking order. That position is usually reserved for the rooster, so feel very honoured. After giving her a stroking pat she is very likely to give a little feather shake. The reason is, if you were a rooster, it would give the semen a shake down into her reproductive tract to aid fertilisation of her eggs.

Hens may also squat for another hen because they are bowing in submission to acknowledge that hen is now above her; in a plea to her not to attack.

​Squatting also indicates that the chicken is at an egg laying age.​Take squatting as a sign of friendliness, not a plea for a rooster.​

Pecking at you

​Pecking is often mistaken for aggression, when in actual fact it’s grooming.

Hens often groom their best friend amongst the other hens as well as any roosters they adore.

But there is another reason why they particularly like to peck at humans and that is because of a phosphorus in our clothing. Birds can see light emitted from certain chemicals that we cannot see in our eyes light spectrum. Many bugs give off a chemical illumination which encourages birds to locate and eat them. Black and blue clothing seem to attract chickens the most as this makes the phosphorus stand out the most.​Pecking at you while on the nest is for a different reason, and that is merely only to protect her eggs. The peck is usually not as violent as we imagine. It’s more of a shock than anything. Always place your hand under a hen with confidence and don’t linger. She will submit to the eggs being taken from under her.​

Dust Bathing and Sun Bathing

Dust and Sun Bathing are natural and healthy behavioural characteristics in poultry. It is not a neurological disturbance.

Dust bathing helps to get rid of pests from between their feathers and can provide a cooling effect in summer, especially to their belly and legs. That is why their dust bathing areas are often quite deep.

Sun bathing allows light onto the belly and under the wings to promote more intact of vitamin D which helps with calcium absorption in their diet and keeps their bones strong and healthy. They never stay too long in the sun.​Both of these behaviours are instinctual and are observed within a week or two from hatching. This is not taught behaviour. Chicks are likely to dust bath in their wood shavings in the brooder even though they have not grown feathers as yet.​

Broodiness

When a hen refuses to leave her nesting box, growls and squats down low, this is what is known as being broody. Certain breeds and personalities are more likely to go broody than others. Some will be regular broodies. Usually it is set off by hot days. The first sign will be a large broody poo, two to three days before it starts.

Being broody does not mean she has to have fertile eggs under her to hatch, nor is it a plea for a rooster.

It is just a matter of course for many hens which needs to broken quickly for the sake of her health. Leaving her stay broody will cause her to lose body weight which can cause her immune system to become weakened and is more likely to become infested with lice and mites. Broodiness is especially dangerous during severe hot weather, where dehydration and coop heat can cause her to die on the nest.​Lock her out of the nesting box area. Placing her in a fenced off area with shade and cool grass with only food and water for the day will be sufficient. Return her to the coop at night to roost. In the morning, return her to her grassy area until her broodiness has ceased. By cooling her, it lowers her body temperature which will stop her broodiness.​

Throwing straw onto their back

Some hens may sitting in a nesting box or walking around picking up a piece of straw and placing it on her back.​This crazy behaviour is known as nesting.

It’s another indicator that a hen is thinking of going broody.

Noisy chicken but won’t go in to lay

​Cheerleading chickens are the hens who love to encourage the other in hens in their nesting boxes to lay their eggs. She is not interested in laying her own egg. She is only acting as encouragement. Placing her into a nesting box will only result in her jumping straight back out. The more hens you have, the more noticeable this behaviour will become at egg laying time.​

Feather Pulling

Feather Pulling is when a chicken pulls out her own feathers, and there are two main reasons.

Moulting season is the most common reason. It even sounds like the hen is unscrewing her feathers (click-click-click sound). She is helping some of her feathers to come out. Many fall out by themselves, but during daily preening they are able to identify those feathers that need a little more help to come out, to let the new feather quills come through.​Nesting to hatch chicks is the other reason. Mother hen really does feather the nest. These feathers are soft and downy and come from underneath her, from her belly and lower chest. Many broody hens also lack feathers underneath as their body heat encourages the feathers to come loose.​

Crowing Hen

There are some rare occasions when hens will attempt to crow like a rooster.

This is because of either assuming the position of flock protector or due to a hormonal imbalance. Once crowing starts, she is unlikely to lay. It would be worthwhile to have her checked out by a vet. Sometimes hormonal imbalances can be caused by a tumour in the reproductive tract. More common amongst ISA Brown (New Hampshire X) hens.​

Is there such thing as a motivational clucking? I say YES. And she is called the cheerleader hen.

If you have quite a few chickens you might notice a behaviour during egg laying time. This can be the cause of many noisy backyard flocks.

Many think that she is just waiting for her favourite nesting box to become available, but in actual fact she is acting as encouragement. Quite often the sitting hens will respond to her and it can become quite noisy during laying time.

Some breeds can be much noisier and encouraging than others.

The more hens you have, the more obvious this behaviour will become, as well as frequency during daylight hours.

This is normal behaviour.

​You can encourage them to keep a little more quiet by going into the shed. This alone often helps to calm the situation down.
​

Many of my clients complain that their chickens just won't behave, causing noisy chaos and become very demanding. And the REASON is, they have you wrapped around their little toe!

Poultry owners can be just a little too kind sometimes and the easiest way to train any animal or bird is with food rewards.

Bad behaviour in poultry begins with rewarding bad behaviour.

​

#1 SCENARIO: After coming back from school drop off in the morning the chickens are making a loud noise in the yard because its egg laying time. You don't want to upset the neighbours (even though nobody has really complained yet, but there might be night-shift people sleeping), so the only thing you can think of doing is distracting them with a food treat.

RESULT: Bad behaviour has just been rewarded.

Vary any opportunities. Do NOT do this daily. An erratic feeding on a rare day can help. But quite often, just going out to them to talk at them and sit outside with a hot drink will make them curious and quiet.

#2 SCENARIO: The new chickens make so much noise inside their coop before they are let out in the morning. The coop is right near your bedroom window, and you just want them to be quiet for a little longer so you can get some more sleep. So you go out to them in your dressing down and boots with a food treat to quieten them down.

RESULT: Bad behaviour has just been rewarded.

These chickens will never quieten down until you stop food rewards completely.Change the layout of the coop. If light is what causes them to make the early morning noise, close off light getting in where ever possible. Make sure that their feeder is located within their coop, too, so that they can access their dietary requirements.

#3 SCENARIO: The chickens keep sitting in their nesting box acting broody. You have a heart and can't bear to move them out because it seems so unkind. So you leave her in the nest with food and water.

RESULT: Bad behaviour has just been rewarded.

Quite often these hens gets lice, mites and a loss of body weight as there is no end period until you have stepped up to make them understand this. Loss of body weight also means a lowered immune system which makes it very hard for her to recover. A hatching only takes 21 days. But if she is not hatching, she has no 'calendar' to modify her behaviour. You need to be her guide. Isolate her into a fenced off area in the cool dry shade during the day with access to food and water. Return her to the coop for the night to roost. Continue to do this until her broodiness stops.

#4 SCENARIO: The new chickens won't sit in their roosting rails, preferring the nesting boxes. You leave them there because it seems soft and warm.

RESULT: Bad behaviour has just been rewarded.

Chickens poo all night long which means that they are sitting in it which can lead to other health problems. They are more likely to contract lice and mites as well. In summer time, the over heating of their bodies in the boxes can lead to an early death. They only take 2 weeks of constant evening training to learn to perch.

​#5 SCENARIO: The rooster doesn't attack you but he attacks everyone else who goes into his yard. They won't stay to handle them, preferring to run, cry and scream or have no contact at all.

RESULT: Bad behaviour has just been rewarded.​Everyone in your household MUST spend time with the rooster. Holding him securely with one arm to the side of the body while the other hand pushes down his head in a submissive bow. This should be done three (3) times in a row before placing the rooster back down. Do this daily for 1-2 weeks. Take a broom or other defensive object to deflect his advances, but do NOT run, cry or scream otherwise he believes he has won - thus rewarding his efforts.

#6 SCENARIO: Chickens make a growling noise in their nesting boxes when eggs are being collected, which scares the egg collector so much that they throw out a food treat or break one of the eggs to distract the chickens so that they can get to all the eggs.

RESULT: Yes, bad behaviour has once again been rewarded.

Trying to get chickens out of their nesting boxes with treats is not good for their reproductive health. Extending the time it takes for a hen to lay can lead to being egg bound, mis-shaped or blood stained eggs.If using a broken egg as a treat, this can lead to perpetual egg eating amongst the flock which is very bad vice in poultry. As tho old saying goes, egg-eaters are really only good for the pot if that behaviour does not cease.

Don't worry. We've all fallen into this trap.

The repetitive and predictable nature of receiving the food or comfort reinforces the delinquency.

I have experienced ALL of these problems with my own flocks over the years.I still have chickens with issues in my garden that I am still trying to find a solution for. Some personalities are harder to curb than others.

What I have learnt is that some breeds of poultry are just not right for me, so I will try some other breeds that better suited to my needs and that are easier for me and my family to cope with.

The GOOD NEWS is that many birds can be modified in their behaviour with a change of behaviour toward them.

Just as food can train them to be bad, it can also be used for training for good behaviour too. Just do NOT reward them at the time of the bad activity.

When you catch your birds doing something good, that's reward time. But remember to keep it to a minimum.

Whether you have been living in your district for many years or if you have just moved house, you need to know where you stand with your council when owning poultry.

You can find the information from your local district council office online, phone or drop into their reception.

Sometimes guidelines may be a little unclear, policies may not have been strictly formulated and that is usually because problems with poultry in that district are so rare that policies were not required.

But there are 3 rules every council zone requires of any pet owner.And it will help you to keep the neighbourhood peace.

Sound

Smell

Pest Control

Sound

Certain breeds of poultry can be noisier than others. Research your breed before buying where ever possible.​Roosters are the most commonly complained about bird, and many councils forbid the ownership of roosters because of that. Some councils may have a Rooster Removal Program in place. Your neighbours are entitled to keep a noise diary as they would for a noisy barking dog, in order to register a complaint.

Reducing your flock size can reduce noise, too. But most breeds are reasonable in noise level, preferring only to be at their loudest around egg laying once a day.

As a matter of courtesy, let your nearest neighbours know that you are thinking of buying chickens, just to see if they have any concerns or objections. Quite often they can be appeased with the occasional carton of free eggs or a bag of chicken manure for the garden.

Smell

Keep the coop and run as clean as possible, especially dealing with smelly wet areas during rainy periods. Garden Lime can be mixed into the smelliest areas to help reduce odour, while the coop it self should be cleaned out daily where ever the hens roost for the night.

In summer, the heat can also cause manure piles to heat up and increase odour.

Dispose of old or wet bedding into the compost pile and mix through thoroughly, or place into your greens bin for rubbish collection day.

Hens should never smell bad, but if they do they should be thoroughly checked over by your avian vet for bacterial issues such as Vent Gleet.

Pest Control

Reducing the likelihood of unwanted pests in the coop and yard starts with access to the poultry's food source. Treadle feeders are the answer to stopping mice, rats and pigeons from getting at the food. Their body weight is not enough to open this type of feeder. It only takes around 3 weeks to train poultry to use a treadle feeder. If it does not work, then change to a different brand.

With mice and rats visiting a food source, this may also encourage snakes to visit. One food source for another.

Flies in the warmer months also need to be trapped by fly bait traps or sticky fly paper, which are available at all hardware stores nationwide.

You can also reduce pests from accessing the coop by installing a solid flooring such as pavers or concrete. This also makes it a lot easier to treat the coop for any outbreaks of lice or mites as they can burrow down into the soil up to 30cm. A solid floor can help reduce these outbreaks enormously.

Have you ever found that the chickens you were told were a quiet breed turned out to be anything but quiet? Some chickens just like to keep shifting the bar when it comes to predicting how loud or quiet they will be.

​We can easily be charmed by those sweet little chickens by their feathers alone without a thought for how noisy they might become.

So when the din begins there are some handy ideas to keeping the noise down.

Every council district throughout Australia will have animal policies, whether they are pets or livestock. Those of us living in the suburbs are keenly aware that we need to be very mindful of our neighbours and make sure that we are obeying the sound and smell rules on our properties.

Having just two or three chickens can be a breeze. Our neighbours will hardly notice that there are chickens over the other side of their fence. But once your chicken addiction starts to get out of hand, so can the noise.

NumbersThe amount of chickens will increase the noise. That might sound obvious, but there is more of a call from the girls in the morning when they beg to be let out of their coop if they free range throughout the day. Once out, the sound level will reduce until each girl goes into lay; that’s when they let everyone know that they just popped out a triumphant egg. The higher the number of hens, the stronger the smell can be, too.

On a farm with hundreds of chickens, there is an all-day noise from the chickens which a very different level to the town or suburban backyard. Listening to hens in a farm situation is like listening to the crowd of people at an entertainment event. They just have to talk. So it does go to show the more hens there are, the stronger and more constant the noise becomes.

SeasonsSpring is actually the noisiest month in our yard with the chickens. The days are longer and warmer, the girls are starting to lay double-yolker eggs, while a couple of the hens decide to go broody again. So if you are purchasing chickens at other times throughout the year, you may be fooled into thinking that the breed you have chosen is relatively quiet.

LightSpring and summer have an abundance of light that stream into the chicken coop, so minimising the light can help to keep the girls a bit quieter in the early hours of the morning. The trick is to still allow in a good airflow while reducing the brightness. Skylights are great for winter laying, but in the warmer months allow extra light and heat in. Try a temporary metal sheet or hessian sacks held down with a couple of bricks can reduce the extra light.​Growing vines such as grapes over the coop can also assist. In winter, their deciduous nature means that more light is able to penetrate the coop again. The leaves on the vines not only help to reduce light but still allow the airflow.

Make good use of fig trees in your garden for the coop position as they are great as a summer covering too, and allow in the winter light during their dormant season.

BreedsYour planned choice of breed can make all the difference. This means diligent research and compromise if noise reduction is very important to you. Bantams tend to be a lot quieter than larger sized hens. The good old ISA Brown hens can have variable temperaments but are overall a reasonable breed when it comes to less noise.

As lovely as Orpingtons, Sussex and Wyandottes look they can go on with their noisy outbursts for quite some time especially if they have just laid an egg or want a hen to get out of their favourite nesting box. Orpingtons can be very chatty as they follow you around the garden, putting in their latest complaint or chat about the weather. My Orpingtons are at their loudest in spring but are much quieter throughout the rest of the year. All breeds will vary.

Choose a docile breed for a quieter chickens, such as the Araucana, Andalusian, Brahma, Cochin, Faverolle, Frizzle, Hamburg, New Hampshire, Rhode Island Red, Silkie and Polish.

Please note that individual personalities of chickens can mean an unexpected noisier chicken.​ RoostersMany town and suburban councils Australia-wide do not permit roosters. Check with your local council before acquiring a boy for your backyard. Your neighbours have the right to complain to council by submitting a crow diary just like a bark diary for a noisy dog.

Keeping roosters for breeding and showing purposes is a common practice. However, roosters are easily set off at all times night and day by sound and light and their own crazy personalities. So reducing their access to light is the first priority to keeping their noise down.

Some rooster owners build their own Rooster Boxes to lock the boys away in every night, but please be aware that during the Australian summer months they may not have adequate cooling airflow in there. Those who have good success with the Rooster Box also keep the box in a very cool part of the house, usually in a cellar.

Rooster No Crow or Cock Collars is another way to reduce their crowing without stopping them completely. The collar around their necks reduces the amount of air that they can take in to let out a crowing noise. It will not prevent crowing from occurring, just the level of noise. Many people have mixed results due to the boys’ personality and breed.

Another method is to keep the boys in a small smaller squat cage so that they are unable to stretch to take in a deep breath to let out their crow. I would not recommend this as a permanent arrangement but it will help keep the boys from crowing throughout the night and early morning hours. Allow them out of this type of caging during the daylight hours for normal foraging activity.

EnclosureIf the chickens are used to free-ranging but are suddenly locked in, this can cause them more distress and thus the noise will become quite loud in protest. You may just want to mow the lawn or they need to be housed in quarantine due to health for a few weeks.

People who often purchase older hens and introduce them to a new backyard with a different coop and yard set up from the one that they are use to are most likely to have noise issues. Try to minimise their transition and attempt to give them as much roaming room as practically possible to help keep the hens calm. Providing boredom busters can help keep their mind off of their lack of room.

IntruderThe more time you spend with your flock the more you get to know all of their special calls. There’s general chatty time, ‘I need to lay’, followed by ‘I just laid an egg’, and the popular ‘Where’s my afternoon snack?’ call.

But there are other more alarming chicken calls that alert not only the other hens but us too, such as when there is a predatory bird flying overhead, a fox, snake or the local cat peeking over the fence.

The sight of a mouse can send the girls into a panic or flurry of excited activity and talk. Some hens love to hunt mice while others will be too scared to go near their food source while the rodent is in the area. This can stir the hens’ activity and noise level. If you need to cull the rodent activity, traps are safer to use than bait around the chicken coop. This in case a hen does catch a mouse to eat, we don’t want the hen to also ingest the bait unwittingly.

If your flock have become scared to go into their nesting boxes, there may be a predator in there taking advantage of the coziness and access to eggs as a food source, such as a snake or monitor lizard.

Take notice of their special warning calls and take up the opportunity to investigate during their calls for their safety and to return the calm. Hunt down what stirs them up.

Maybe you have a good technique for keeping your chickens quiet. We would love to hear from you.

Author

You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl. As an ex-Barossa gal now living in suburban Adelaide, South Australia, Janine Zschech is not only a serious chicken lady but a genuine advocate for self-sufficiency and education of children to the knowledge of gardening and animal rearing. Skills for life!